The stats for the Goodguys 16th PPG Nationals—otherwise known simply as Columbus Goodguys—are staggering. In the three days covering the period of July 12 - 14, the Ohio Expo Center played host to some 6,200 hot rods and muscle cars, and brought in over 100,000 attendees. Another 430 vendors set up booths (indoors, if you were lucky), making it a serious rival to any hot rod trade show on the circuit. Goodguys Columbus is a show so cool that even the famed Memphis Belle B-17 bomber made a half-dozen trips to deliver VIP passengers the view of a lifetime as it skimmed the treetops over the Expo Center.

Through the years, Columbus has become one of the biggest, most important pilgrimage stops on the hot rodding tour, and depending on who you ask, is considered by many to be the spiritual mecca of hot rodding in the Midwest. It's a happening of epic proportion, and is the very reason Goodguys makes it the location for one of the most significant muscle car events on the planet: the Street Machine of the Year (SMOTY) competition. Likewise, for vendors who value the athletic accomplishment of their products, Goodguys also hosts the vendor challenge in Columbus, in which purveyors of performance products bring out their best sheetmetal to do battle.

2/17

All this jousting and mechanical chest beating makes the Street Machine Autocross a nexus of excitement all weekend long as car builders, vendors, SMOTY competitors, and average guys drag their iron out on the hot tarmac. Man, machine, and merchant are put to the test as a legion of car-savvy spectators take mental notes and lay down their judgments—often through the burgeoning array of social media outlets. Yes, we were guilty of that too, and for the first time ever, we had our own team of dedicated bloggers and "search engine optimization" experts to titillate and tease those who were not actually present. How well did it work? Who cares. In the end, if you weren't there, you weren't there.

The autocross itself is an artfully contrived series of bends roughly in the shape of a peanut. Constructing the course is a balancing act between making it fast enough to be fun and keeping it slow enough to keep things safe. Typically this translates into driving with the trans in Second gear, and speeds rarely go over 40 mph. Think you can handle that? Accidents are a rarity due to the soft nature of urethane cones, and in the final analysis, each driver has absolute control of the loud pedal—meaning "hey buddy, if you wreck, it's only your own damn fault."

3/17Other than a few well-chosen A-body suspension bolt-ons from CPP, Darrell Easterling’s 1965 Buick GS is mostly stock. It does, however, boast a healthy 462ci Stage I Buick V-8 that Easterling says is good for around 500 hp. It made all the right sounds and had us all staring!

An amusing peculiarity of the Columbus event—as we mentioned before—is the SMOTY competitors hitting the autocross. Traditionally, the nation's top street machines have been judged for competition in stasis, but the judging panel has in recent years added the requirement that cars vying for the coveted award actually be driven hard, and you better make it damn believable too. That has led to some interesting public, mechanical revelations—some of them embarrassing for their builders and owners—and others more triumphant. This year was one of the latter, as we finally got to see George Poteet's milestone 1969 Torino Talladega—long under construction at Rad Rides By Troy—which made a thoroughly spectacular thrashing on the track. By far and away the most stunning machine on the grounds, the Torino was also set on kill as it repeatedly wended its way 'round the grid. Therefore, it was no surprise to anyone that the formidable Ford won the Street Machine of the Year prize.

Besides Troy Trepanier and his gang taking the big SMOTY trophy from the Optima Batteries people, Kyle Tucker drove DSE's 1970 Camaro into the winner's circle for the Vendor's Challenge, while Kenny Edwards laid down the quickest lap in the Street Machine category, thanks to his well-sorted family heirloom 1966 Mustang.

Our final stop on the Goodguys tour is Scottsdale (November 15 - 17) for the 16th Southwest Nationals. Stay tuned, because that one promises to be a barn burner with a $10,000 cash prize going to the fastest car. See you there!

4/17Ron Sall’s stunning 1959 Corvette was also up for SMOTY honors, and eagerly attacked the course with its sticky C4 suspension. The power team includes an LS1 crate motor, Tremec six-speed, and a Ford 9-inch rear with 3.55 gears.